


Raindrops in the Sun

by AlphaShae, shaetil (AlphaShae)



Category: One Piece
Genre: AU Fic, Adventure, Completed, M/M, San/Zo, canon AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-13
Updated: 2014-11-13
Packaged: 2018-02-25 06:06:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 15,361
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2611205
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlphaShae/pseuds/AlphaShae, https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlphaShae/pseuds/shaetil
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Zoro gets lost on a strange island - like usual - Sanji goes to find him. However he finds more than he bargained for, and Zoro might be lost forever...! Set in a loosely canon world after the events at Alubarna.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. 1

"This weather is amazing!"

"Nami-swaaaaan is so lovely when she's excited about the shitty weather! Mellorinnnne!"

"This island is strange…" Usopp frowned at the strange foliage bordering the tiny beach. The rest of the Strawhats nodded in agreement of this assessment. Overhead the sky was a startling, jewel-like blue, sparkling with minute rainbows that danced among the soft raindrops falling constantly from the cloudless heavens. The sun-warmed rain gently coated the entire island with a continuous moisture, and the brilliantly colored plants seemed to thrive in the wet.

"These look like sea anemones!" Chopper excitedly examined a patch of small, pink plants that did indeed appear as if they belonged on the ocean floor.

Most of the plant-life resembled forms you would expect to see on a coral reef. "Do you think these sting?" Usopp poked a larger plant with a shell he'd picked up on the beach.

The plant rippled slightly in response, before dramatically changing its hue from a light yellow to a striking purple. "Ooooh!" Everyone reacted with simultaneous wonder.

Robin smiled, "So lovely… I hope it's not dangerous."

"AWESOME! MAKE IT CHANGE AGAIN!" Before anyone could stop him, Luffy's hand shot out, and he eagerly jabbed at the purple plant with his finger. The poor, molested flower flared a brilliant crimson, before turning green and then blue as Luffy kept up poking at it. "Shishishishishi! So interesting!"

"It seems fine…"

Sanji sneered at Zoro's opinion, "Like we would listen to the words of an idiot marimo."

"What did you say?!"

"It's okay everyone! The tests don't show any toxins!"

"Thank you Chopper!" Nami smiled brightly as she looked around at her companions. "Everyone, I want to get a better look at this weather phenomenon, so let's head out to find some high ground!"

The seven of them headed into the colorful forest, after Zoro pried Luffy off the frantically color-changing plant that he was chewing.

Zoro walked at the rear of the group, so he could handle anything that tried to sneak up on his friends… and so he could watch Sanji without being caught.

Recently his relationship with the cook had changed. It had always been complicated between them. Zoro admired the cook's strength and his tenacious belief in an impossible ocean; he saw Sanji as passionate, intelligent, loyal, and someone he could trust unequivocally. Sanji, however, treated him like shit. The blonde was an asshole to all the men onboard, but Zoro didn't find that fact to be comforting at all. It was unbelievably frustrating to have someone that he admired and wanted at his side, behave with constant hostility. Zoro's agitation spilled over into anger, which in turn, fueled the eternal bickering between him and the cook.

However, after everything that had happened at Alabasta, the cook's attitude had changed.

Zoro couldn't be sure that it was a good change… Sanji had become distant. He spent more time in the galley, or flirting with Nami and Robin. He avoided Zoro almost entirely. They still fought on occasion when Zoro picked a fight out of habit, but Sanji stopped the constant little annoying things he used to do; like kicking Zoro awake when he was napping, or deliberately stocking Zoro's least favorite booze.

Zoro hated to admit it, but he actually felt lonely. At least when the cook was snarling insults in his face, he knew that Sanji noticed him. It was sick. He'd formed some twisted association with Sanji's abuse and friendship. What was made it worse was that apparently Zoro was so emotionally weak that Sanji's attitude alone could affect him so much. Sure Sanji was his cremate, but did it really matter if they enjoyed each other's company as friends? It shouldn't - Zoro shouldn't be giving one fuck about what Sanji felt toward him, and he didn't understand what kept him from doing just that.

So he walked along behind the group, and tried to puzzle out what the fuck was wrong with himself.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

Up ahead, everyone was laughing and enjoying the exotic scenery. It wasn't every day that they stepped onto a new island and weren't in immediate danger. Trailing behind, Zoro found his gaze permanently stuck on Sanji's happy body-language. He was in the middle of an intense bout of self-loathing for being jealous when alarm shivered up his spine and raised the hairs on the back of his neck. Halting in his tracks, Zoro carefully scanned the thick foliage behind them. The continual patter of the falling rain dulled his senses of hearing and smell, and the bits of refracted sunlight flying everywhere made it more difficult to spot suspicious forms.

Eventually, Zoro gave up looking. If there was something, it would attack and he'd cut it down, or it would just leave them alone. Either option was fine. Zoro remained alert, with his hand at his swords as he turned back to his group.

Shit! They had left him behind!

Zoro broke into a run, but only made a few steps before something caught the corner of his eye. His boots made sliding tracks in the damp soil as he halted once more. Drawing two swords, Zoro frantically scanned the underbrush once more. His heart nearly stopped when he spotted the tall figure to his right, and within arm's reach!

He jerked back in alarm and settled into a defensive stance. This thing before him was completely unnatural, and the sight of it was unsettling. Completely black from crown to foot, it had no face; instead there was a flat plate that could possibly be a mask. The sheer blackness of the figure made it stand out against the candy-colored plant-life as it just stood there, and stared…

"What do you want? Who are you?"

Without answering, the figure turned and moved silently away, deeper into the forest.

"Hey! HEY!" Zoro gave chase.

Apparently his shadowy prey had some nasty trick up its sleeve, because no matter how fast Zoro ran, he just couldn't catch up. He roared in anger when suddenly the black figure vanished before his very eyes. Had he fallen for some damn trick of the light? No! There HAD been something there! Just a little further and surely he'd catch up! Sweaty, scratched to hell and panting hard, Zoro burst into a small clearing.

It was a shrine of some sort. In the center lay a perfectly still pool of water; not even the sparkling raindrops made so much as a single ripple as they appeared to melt into its mirror-like surface. Soft green moss grew between the cracks of white stones paving the ground, and crept up the smooth white pillars bordering the forest's edge. Standing on the other side of the pool was a figure in white.

Zoro took a cautious step forward. This figure strongly resembled the one in black. At first glance Zoro wasn't sure that this "person" wasn't simply a statue of the figure in black. He kept his weapons up defensively as he eyed this new apparition. In its left hand, the figure was cupping a golden ball that was emitting a soft glow. Nami would love that. He should get a better look. However, as Zoro drew closer, it became obvious that this statue was actually a person that had painted their skin to be white. Eye-slits cut into the white mask revealed dark eyes that regarded him silently as he boldly walked nearer. This person must be a priest of this shrine. From his experience, priests weren't usually a threat.

Sheathing his weapons, Zoro stopped at the banks of the pool. "May I drink here?"

"You may." Zoro knelt and reached out to scoop up the water, but stopped when the priest spoke again, "But you must not drink with a divided heart."

Zoro sat back on his heels. He had no desire to bring down some weird curse on his head. No matter how thirsty he was, he wouldn't drink water that had conditions. "Thanks anyway."

"My shadow drew you here for a purpose." So that creature from before had been sent for him? Zoro eyed the priest curiously. Was this priest a swordsman or something?

"If you wish, I can either remove that thing which troubles you and brings you pain, or I can help you accept it and make your heart whole again."

Zoro's eyes narrowed. He didn't appreciate riddles. They were a waste of time. "I don't understand."

"The one you love. I can erase that existence and your weakness with it…" Zoro growled. No one would be "erasing" anybody! His hand went back to his swords. If this man threatened any of his friends he would not hesitate to cut him down. He refused to lose any of them! Especially not… Sanji?

Awful realization stabbed through his entire being like a knife. Zoro's hands fell limply to his sides as he looked at the priest with a stricken expression. Softly spoken words from behind the mask continued to flow over him; each syllable tearing off more little pieces of his emotional defense. "Lies and divisiveness will cage your soul. Your freedom will only come through truth. I can help you accept your love as a part of your true self. It is your choice, warrior, and you must choose or your weakness will become your undoing."

He… loved… Sanji?

Suddenly days and weeks of agitation and sleepless nights rushed back to him in a new context. He admired Sanji; he loved Sanji - and it hurt like hell every time the bastard rejected even the smallest gestures of friendship. His heart had been broken into so many pieces so many times, it was no wonder he had grown fixated on their fights as an only means of maintaining relationship. He had renamed his feelings as 'respect' in a desperate bid to protect his hurting soul, but even in denial, his love had continued to grow.

"I-I love him…"

A cool hand cupped his cheek, and Zoro lifted his gaze from where he'd been contemplating the stones in despair. "Let's begin the ceremony."


	2. 2

Sanji did his best to focus on his two lovely swans and ignore the marimo staring holes in his back. Recently his relationship with the marimo had been strained - but what was he supposed to do? Zoro had gotten himself sliced to pieces in Alubarna - not to mention trying to cut off his fucking feet! And Sanji hadn't been able to stand seeing him like that.

Sure the first day he'd met the marimo, he'd gotten nearly chopped in half by Mihawk, and he'd bled all over the place then… but now.

Now Sanji found himself struggling with Zoro's fucked up ideas concerning self-sacrifice and death. Did that idiot even once think about what would happen to the rest of them if he went and died? How it would make everyone feel? How it would make Sanji feel?

Sanji didn't want to stand in the way of Zoro's dream; it was one of the things he truly admired about the marimo, but he didn't know how many more times he could watch Zoro deliberately get hurt before he fucking snapped and chained the idiot in the hold. There was something about Zoro - something stupidly honest and true - that made Sanji want simultaneously to strangle the man, and to be at his side to support him when he charged headfirst into danger. Recently that desire to remain by Zoro had changed into something else - something dangerously obsessive that forced him to flee into the galley, just so he could stop himself from counting how many times the marimo twitched his left eyebrow, or straining his ears to hear how the ocean breezes made those golden earrings chime…

He would not, could not let himself label this problem as love. If he did then at some point he'd be unable to keep himself from blurting it out. He'd always been terrible at keeping his secrets to himself. It wasn't that his problem was centered around a man, or even that it was Zoro - Sanji believed in all forms of lov… obsession. It was that Zoro couldn't stand him.

Probably due to his competitive nature, Zoro hadn't managed to say a nice word to Sanji from day one, and in turn that abrasive behavior triggered Sanji's own competitive nature. If he fell in love with Zoro, he'd lose. Worse still, if he told Zoro his feelings, the swordsman would probably have Luffy remove him from the crew as cook… Love would only be a distraction and annoyance to Zoro, and Sanji knew the swordsman well enough to know that anything that could distract Zoro from his dream would be cast aside. Although Sanji probably wouldn't even wait to be kicked off the crew; if Zoro coldly rejected his feelings, Sanji would be too heartbroken to remain on the ship with him. If that happened, Sanji would lose his crew, his true love and his dream of finding All Blue. Yes, it was better for everyone that he keep his lov… obsession to himself.

"Hey, where's Zoro?"

Sanji whipped his head around to see that Usopp was right. That shitty swordsman was probably lost again! The group stopped and waited a few moments before realizing that Zoro wasn't simply being a little slow. Nami pursed her lips in an adorable pout. "That idiot is lost again! Sanji, could you go bring him back?"

Sanji was torn. He never denied a request from his sweet angel, but to be separated from her divine presence for the sake of the shitty marimo? No doubt Zoro had already found trouble and was fighting again… alone.

The horrible memory of seeing Zoro's nearly severed feet suddenly attacked his mind, bringing on a wave of nausea. Zoro was ridiculously strong, but he wasn't the best swordsman in the world… Not yet.

"Sanji?"

He blinked and Nami's lovely, worried face swam back into focus. "Of course my swan! I will bring back that shitty moss-ball for you!"

Nami smiled in relief, "Thank you. We'll keep moving along this path, and we'll be sure to leave you markers if we go off the path for any reason. You won't have trouble finding us, right?"

"Nami is so sweet to worry about me! Your radiant light of love will guide me through this jungle! I swear I won't let you down, and I'll return to your side so we can celebrate our love together!"

Even Nami's expression of exasperation was beautiful as she rolled her eyes. "Just go already... If you find him and start trouble on this island I won't give you any money for that locking fridge you want!"

Sanji gave one last happy wiggle before bounding off down the path. "I'll be back sooooon!"

Nami groaned and rolled her eyes again while Robin chuckled softly behind her hand. The others were also amused by their cook's antics. "Shishishishi! Sanji is an idiot!"

"YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO SAY THAT ABOUT OTHERS, YOU IDIOT OF IDIOTS!"

Usopp cowered in fear and swore he saw Nami's eyes glow red and her teeth turn into monster's fangs as she beat their stupid captain senseless.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

Sanji lit another cigarette with a deadpan expression as he stared at the obvious hole in the brush where their perpetually lost swordsman had gone crashing off the road. As always, the stupidity that his crewmate displayed was astounding. What was that idiot marimo thinking?

However, upon carefully examining the marimo tracks, Sanji came to conclusion - Zoro hadn't just wandered off the trail this time. That shitty swordsman had been chasing something. Sanji eyed the trampled path warily. Did this mean there were dangerous things on this island after all? He was sure Zoro could take care of himself for a little bit; maybe he should return to the others and warn…?

Sanji's eyes widened when a feminine figure dressed from head-to-toe in white stepped daintily into the path accidentally cleared through the underbrush. She was too far to see properly, but Sanji's romantic heart could sense a beautiful lady from leagues away…! "Ah, Mellorine! Your beauty outshines the very rainbows! Please grace me with a mere glimpse of your beautiful face!"

Sanji giddily leapt and twirled into the jungle to meet his true love. However, it seemed the lady was shy, because no matter how swiftly he moved she was always in the distance. "Please wait, my love! My heart aches with our separation!"

Before he could muster more convincing words of love to stay his lady's flight, Sanji stumbled quite suddenly into a wide clearing. There was a solemn atmosphere surrounding the ancient white stones scattered here and there, and Sanji couldn't help but feel he had clumsily stumbled into someplace sacred. Somewhat awed, he took in the thick carpet of moss - broken only by white stone once belonging to a path - and large, structural rocks that might have been in a building. Forgetting the mysterious lady now that she had vanished, Sanji strode into the clearing to get a better look. His lovely Robin-chwan would be thrilled to learn of a place like this. There might even be a poneglyph hidden here! Sanji peered into a vast pool of crystal clear water and marveled at its pristine, mirror-like surface. The sand beneath the glossy surface was a shimmering pearl. It was so lovely! Curious, he walked around the clearing, examining some of the larger blocks. If he found some ancient carvings, Robin would give in to her secret love for him without a second thought!

Sanji walked around the corner of a square stone that was at least a foot taller than him when he spotted the missing marimo. Zoro was sitting cross-legged on a small stone that bordered a hidden curve of the strange pond. He appeared to be meditating. His eyes were closed with his palms up and resting on his knees, and a small gleaming ball was cupped loosely in the fingers of his left hand. He could have been sleeping though… However, even when Sanji drew close, Zoro didn't stir or acknowledge his presence in any way - and Sanji found that he couldn't help coming nearer. His breath caught in his throat as he fully took in the sight of the figure before him; for once, Zoro did not look at all like the rude, sloppy bastard that Sanji usually knew. Stained and ripped clothing - including that blasted haramaki - had been exchanged for a pure white wardrobe of loose-fitting pants and a billowing shirt that was unfastened, hanging open, and proudly displaying Zoro's scarred chest. However the clean, bright clothes weren't the only change… The most heart-stopping shock to Sanji's system was Zoro's skin. Every inch of that suntanned body had been painted as white as his new wardrobe. Somehow that blank white expanse of skin made everything about Zoro much more amazing. Seaweed green hair took on a jewel-like emerald sheen against the paint, and even his eyebrows and eyelashes were revealed to be brilliantly green. The dips of his muscles, bones and scars stood out sharply as the white color highlighted every shadowed detail on Zoro's body. It was easy to see the soft curves of Zoro's pectorals, and the crisp cut of his abdominals as they vanished into the waistband of his pants. Sanji's eyes started to burn from forgetting to blink. Looking at Zoro like this was endlessly fascinating. He was seeing things he'd never noticed - not in all the months of actually being physically closer than he was standing now. Like this, Sanji could even see the length of Zoro's eyelashes as they rested against the tops of his cheeks. Zoro looked foreign and peaceful - an untouched object surrounded by a kaleidoscope of color.

"Beautiful…"

The words leapt unbidden from Sanji's lips. He held his breath, but Zoro didn't move in the slightest. Growing brave with Zoro's lack of action - Sanji crept closer and reached out to brush Zoro's painted cheek with the very tips of his fingers. Sanji froze in shock as even such light contact sent warmth rushing up his arm. It was a wonderful feeling. Sanji knelt in front of the swordsman and stroked his fingers along Zoro's jaw. Somehow he just couldn't bring himself to stop touching Zoro.


	3. 3

As he leaned in, gently caressing Zoro's face, Sanji couldn't help but enjoy the warm tingling that flowed up his arm. It buzzed soothingly in his brain, and the feeling was intoxicating; better than a pack of cigarettes. It wasn't enough - Sanji needed more.

He pressed the pad of his thumb against Zoro's low lip, parting the surprisingly soft mouth gently. Zoro's warm breath rushed out and brushed against Sanji's senses. It smelled strangely sweet?

Curious, Sanji licked at his own lips and gathered the taste lingering there from Zoro's moist exhale. It was sweet. The flavor exploded in his brain, and the allure to taste more was the only thing left after the fallout. Sanji mindlessly closed the scant distance between them and pressed his lips to Zoro's. The texture of the paint was a little strange, but the soft yielding warmth of Zoro's mouth easily enticed Sanji into another gentle kiss, and another.

Before he realized what was happening, Sanji had used a hand in Zoro's soft hair to pull his head into a tilt so he could get a better angle as he plundered the swordsman's non-resisting lips. The sweet, chalky flavor of the paint on Zoro's skin was driving Sanji insane. Slowly, he used a hand to massage Zoro's jaw open and slipped his tongue into the swordsman's hot mouth. Hot lust heated his whole body and ached in his groin as Sanji deepened the kiss. He wanted all of Zoro. He wanted to touch him, hold him, fuck him…

Frustration began to build in his foggy mind as Sanji desperately tried to coax a response from the swordsman's dormant tongue. Sliding and rubbing his tongue against Zoro's, Sanji needed more than this one-sided kiss. Slowly his irritation turned to awareness, and awareness cleared the haze of his mind.

What the fuck was he doing to Zoro?!

Sanji tore himself away with a gasp, falling on his ass as he stared at Zoro in horror. There was something horribly wrong here. Zoro still had not moved a muscle, and the cloyingly sweet taste inside Sanji's mouth was still urging him to violate Zoro more - to force him down and fuck him hard. Sanji shuddered in disgust. Something like that was simply rape! There was something wrong with Zoro - there was something wrong with him, and Sanji needed to fix it fast.

Sanji panted as he simply sat there trying to catch his breath and staring at Zoro's slightly-parted and slick lips - now free from paint. As his mind raced through the possibilities of drugs and poisons, Zoro's eyes fluttered open. Sanji started in fear and unconsciously backed away until a hand slipped off the bank of the pond and brushed the water. If he retreated any further he'd end up in the water. Focused on Sanji's every movement, Zoro's eyes were entirely black - like a shark's eyes.

What the hell was going on?!

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

Robin paused and glanced around at the colorful jungle bordering the path. She had felt a presence watching them for some time, but she couldn't find it. The glittering rain and vibrant flora successfully concealed their observer. She didn't sense a threat just yet, but being examined this way felt vaguely disconcerting.

"Robin? Do you not feel well?"

Chopper's big eyes looked up at her in concern. Robin smiled reassuringly, "I am fine, Doctor-san. Please do not worry."

"Okay."

"Hey, Robin, there's something interesting up here!"

Robin followed serenely after Chopper as he dashed to catch up to Nami. "Interesting? What's interesting? I want to see it!"

Reaching Nami's side, Robin took in the stunning view ahead. Before them the jungle thinned as the ground sloped sharply upward. The mountain had been difficult to see through the tops of the brightly colored trees, but now they could see the remains of a very large and very old structure. Tantalizing glimpses of smooth white pillars and broken white, stone statues excited Robin's explorer spirit. What wonderful secrets did this place have to offer? Was this another step toward her dream?

"I think I would be able to observe the weather well from up there! Also there might be treasure! Let's go check it out!" Nami began dragging a protesting Usopp toward the ruins.

"W-wait! What about Zoro and Sanji? They're not back yet!" He looked like he was coming down with another case of if-I-go-into-mystery-ruins-without-Zoro-and-Sanji-to-protect-me-I'll-die disease.

"WHOOHOO! LET'S GO HAVE AN ADVENTURE!"

"TREASURE!"

Usopp whimpered pitifully as he was dragged along by both Luffy and Nami. Robin chuckled softly behind her hand as she followed her crewmates. There was never a dull moment with the Strawhats.

It didn't take long to reach the site. Luffy and Chopper raced among the toppled white walls and massive white stones, screaming and laughing. Usopp had managed to shake off his cowardice when nothing dangerous immediately appeared, and joined the captain's mad race. Nami looking for any structures that might be hiding gold or jewels right away. Robin gravitated toward a towering stone that appeared to bear an inscription. The stone was easily seven feet high, and might have been taller at some point. The surface of the rock appeared to have been struck; there were many large scars and holes where the rock was cracked and missing. Sadly the writing was not intact due to the amount of surface damage. Robin delicately ran her fingers along the large, chiseled letters and began to read what she could.

"Miss Navigator, I believe you should see this."

"What is it, Robin?" Nami slid down from where she'd climbed on a large, fallen pillar for a better view.

"This inscription - it's talking about how people used to come to this island to offer sacrifices."

"Sacrifices? Like to a god?"

"I believe the writing is describing something like a malicious spirit that leads others to their doom through deceit."

Nami pursed her lips as she thought. "Do you think it means the island is dangerous?"

Robin answered honestly, "I do not know. However, I have felt that we've been watched since we entered the jungle."

"Also Sanji and Zoro are still not back…" Nami eyed the massive, white stone for a moment before reaching a conclusion. "Let's wait here just a little longer. If the two of them are together I doubt there is anything on this island that could be more dangerous than that pair of idiots."

Robin nodded in acquiescence. "They are very strong indeed."

She didn't doubt that their cook and the swordsman could handle themselves in a fight - she just hoped that their friends hadn't gotten caught up in anything... strange.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

He didn't move fast enough. In the blink of an eye, Zoro's strong body had him pinned to the ground. His hands were clenched painfully tight around Sanji's wrists, and his face was uncomfortably close. Those pure black and emotionless eyes stared down, right into Sanji's soul. He only had a moment to try and wriggle free before Zoro's head lowered in a bruising kiss. To his shame, Sanji couldn't hold back a little whimper of pain and fear. This was wrong - horribly wrong. Zoro's strong, hot tongue forced itself between Sanji's lips and slithered along his clenched teeth; all the while those shark's eyes were staring down unblinkingly into Sanji's own.

Sanji could feel the intrusion of that pleasurable numbness humming in his skull once again. Zoro's hips ground down against his own, and Sanji gasped helplessly at the intense sensation. Zoro's tongue took advantage of his reaction and thrust into Sanji's mouth. Gagging, Sanji fought the urge to bite down - he didn't actually want to hurt Zoro, and he was certain at this point that the swordsman was under the influence of some strange poison. As Zoro continued to forcefully fuck Sanji's mouth with his tongue, the fog of pleasure gathering in Sanji's mind began to obscure the reasons why this was bad. If he didn't do something soon, something would happen that neither of them wanted!

Mustering the last of his determination, Sanji used the strength of his hips and legs to knee Zoro in the side - hard. Zoro's body curled in pain, his mouth releasing Sanji's, and his grip on Sanji's wrists loosening. Sanji yanked himself free and struggled out from beneath Zoro's body. As soon as Zoro's skin lost contact with his own, Sanji found that his senses began to return. Maybe they were being affected by that paint?

Zoro stood slowly and began to stalk toward Sanji once more. As the swordsman loomed threateningly before him, Sanji found himself backing away, mind panicking as he tried to come up with a plan. Then he noticed how - conveniently - the pond was now behind Zoro. One good blow should do the trick! Sanji struck out hard just as soon as the swordsman came into range, but Zoro partially dodged the blow. He sidestepped at the last moment, but that didn't keep Sanji from striking his left arm. A flash of gold caught Sanji's eye and he instinctively reached out to catch it. Heat pulsed in his hand, and Sanji stared down in bewilderment at the little golden ball that was now in his possession.

"Give it back."

Zoro's voice was strange. It was deeper and more dangerous than Sanji had ever heard before. He shuddered and raised his gaze. Zoro stood right before him, but oddly the swordsman made no move to touch him.

"Give."

Sanji's mind raced, sorting through the bizarreness of it all.

"It."

Maybe there was something important about this shitty, glowing ball?

"Back!"

The low growl that rattled in Zoro's throat was anything but human. Sanji clutched the ball to his chest for dear life. "Hell no!"


	4. 4

Zoro paced around him in a circle, stalking like a giant predator. Sanji kept turning in place so his back was never exposed to the threatening swordsman. Pitch black eyes narrowed, and a growl rumbled in Zoro's chest. "I'll kill you."

Sanji flinched, but he didn't run - he couldn't run. He had to save this shitty marimo first. Zoro came closer, stopping less than a foot from Sanji's face before roaring in anger, "GIVE IT BACK TO ME!"

Sanji stared wide-eyed into Zoro's snarling face and was hit by a moment of startling clarity. "You can't touch me when I'm holding this… can you?"

Zoro withdrew a couple of paces, his expression furious. Sanji smirked and pointed at the golden ball in his other hand, "As long as I have this thing I'm safe!"

Snarling in frustration, Zoro resumed his pacing. Sanji kept a wary eye on the swordsman while he tried to understand the situation. It seemed that whatever was wrong with Zoro wasn't caused by poison. It HAD to be some sort of freaky magic spell that the idiot had stumbled into while crashing around the jungle - and the object in Sanji's hands had to be the source. Why else would this shitty ball be able to keep Zoro from even touching Sanji? He wanted to bring it Robin; no doubt their lovely and intelligent archeologist would understand this weird object. Sanji eyed the growling swordsman cautiously. He wasn't sure that he wanted to risk his lovely ladies getting hurt by their bewitched crewmate. Sanji didn't know if the ball only worked for one person at a time or not.

He would just have to deal with this himself.

"Maybe I should break it?" Sanji thought out loud as he turned the sphere over in his hands. If he just crushed the damn thing underfoot maybe that would lift the curse? However he couldn't help but worry about the consequences. What if breaking the artifact made things worse? What if Zoro was a violent molesting manic forever? The thought of never getting his marimo back the way he used to be was upsetting.

Eerie obsidian eyes regarded him in silence for a moment. Zoro had stopped pacing and was simply staring. Suddenly his lips twitched into a toothy sneer. "I never thought that you would care so little about your friend."

About your... friend.

The hairs rose on the back of Sanji's neck - this wasn't Zoro. As much as the swordsman seemed to hate him, Sanji knew that Zoro understood how much he cared about his friends. Sanji would put his life on the line for any crewmate in an instant and Zoro would never call that into question. This man wasn't Zoro. Perhaps this was just like what happened with that shitty okama, Number Two? Sanji was pissed with himself. Why hadn't he noticed it earlier?! His eyes narrowed and he took a step back from the swordsman.

"You aren't Zoro! Who the fuck are you?"

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

Robin carefully unrolled a crumbling parchment scroll, and sighed in subdued irritation as another large chunk of text crumbled into dust. This scroll wasn't any different from the others. It was solely comprised of the financial affairs of whatever priests that had maintained this shrine. It was interesting, but Robin was hoping for something that would expound upon what she had interpreted on the stone outside.

She gingerly re-rolled the text and set it aside. Crossing her arms, she felt the familiar flutter of new skin forming as she summoned a line of arms to reach a large scroll resting at the top of the stone shelves. She accepted the parchment from herself and dismissed the extra limbs. Footsteps on the stone floor behind her alerted her to one of her crewmates entering the underground library.

"Have you found any maps?" Nami ran a curious gaze over the pile of scrolls at Robin's side.

"I'm afraid not, miss Navigator."

Nami pouted, "I haven't found even a single gold coin in this entire damn pile of rocks! I'm going outside to study the rainfall again. At least this island won't be an entire waste of my time!"

Robin smiled, "I'll be sure to let you know if I find any maps or any records of treasure."

Giving the older woman a quick hug, Nami practically radiated happiness. "You're the only one who understands me! Robin, you're the best!"

Chuckling, Robin shifted the scroll in her hands so Nami wouldn't accidentally damage it. "I'm glad you think so, miss Navigator."

When Nami had departed, Robin opened the large scroll. Instantly an adrenaline rush of excitement quickened her pulse. This scroll was all she had hoped for and more. Elaborate illuminated script decorated the opening lines.

The treachery of the soul is maintained by the body. Depriving the body leads to unity of the spirit. True peace is offered through the ritual by the sacred Huli Jing. Seek solace in the sacrifice of those who choose the binding of their soul through the ritual; for their tears are gathered in the pool, and the pains of the flesh are no more.

Robin felt more troubled as she continued to read the religious text. Much of the writing was vague and poetic, providing very little concrete information about the religion or its practice. However as she read she discovered a chilling representation of a spirit that offered the chance to have any wish granted, but at a terrible cost.

Her fingers brushed delicately over an illustration of a crumbling corpse, and she couldn't help but be saddened. In trying to obtain their desires through deals with devils, men found themselves devoured by the very thing that they sought. Wishes of the heart were just that powerful. She didn't know if she would be able to resist the island spirit's siren call herself. With luck, neither she or her crewmates would ever be faced with that choice. Robin just hoped that they all would be able to leave this place without facing such a devious enemy.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

"ANSWER ME!" Fake-Zoro ignored the demand still wearing that damned smirk. Sani clenched his fingers around the golden ball and silently panicked. Thoughts of Zoro, tortured and bleeding assaulted his mind.

"Where is my swordsman?" Emotion clutched at his throat, and his voice came out in a horrified whisper.

There was no change at all to the pseudo-swordsman's expression. Sanji desperately searched his crewmate's face for something that was still Zoro, but there were only those two empty eyes, watching him back with cool disdain. Fake-Zoro arched a single eyebrow. "What are you waiting for? Have you not resolved to act?"

Sanji held his ground, staring back at the hateful creature before him. He did his best to hide it, but he was horribly afraid. He was afraid that it was too late and Zoro was already beyond saving, and he was scared of even considering having to go on without the marimo. How could he pursue his dream of All-Blue without the shitty swordsman at his side?

If there was still any chance of him getting his swordsman back he had to get this face-stealing fucker to cooperate.

"I want to make a deal."

The mocking grin on fake-Zoro's face grew wider. "Oh?"

Sanji hoisted the golden ball, hoping that he looked more confident than he felt. "I have this... thing. You said you wanted it?"

Fake-Zoro shrugged, "Yes. However, I don't have to offer you anything. To get what you want, you will have to return that to me regardless."

It was clear from his expression that he thought that he had won. Sanji's hands trembled as he protectively cradled the ball to his chest again. Maybe this creep HAD won.

"Please..." Sanji never begged, but he felt he had no choice. Losing Zoro wasn't an option. "I'll do anything!"

He just wanted his shitty marimo back.


	5. Chapter 5

"Anything?"

Sanji nodded silently, wondering if he'd made a horrible mistake. Fake-Zoro tilted his head, and Sanji fidgeted in place. "Unfortunately I cannot interfere with your crewmate's fate any longer. What's done is done. He made his choice, and I cannot unmake it."

"Wait, WHAT?!" Zoro hadn't been cursed or possessed against his will? He'd CHOSEN... whatever it was that had happened to him?

Fake-Zoro's black eyes slitted as his grin dropped. "Perhaps there is something YOU can do. The two of you have a deep bond - he came to me because of you."

"Me?"

"Yes."

Sanji swallowed. Zoro had made a choice to disappear - possibly forever - and it had to do with him? "Tell me."

Fake-Zoro tapped a finger over his own chest. "His soul was a mess - torn to pieces and bleeding... And do you know why?"

Sanji shook his head, confused. "It's because YOU are weak. Those feelings that you try to hide - they are a blight eating at your soul, and you inflict your illness on those around you. You've made yourself cruel to the one you love, and that's made you both fragile. Your heart is like fraying rope. There will come a time when your pathetic self will stumble and fall apart, and he will be there to save you at the cost of his own life."

"No."

"You're denying it?"

Sanji felt rage boil in his gut. The words he was hearing were making him feel nauseous. "I would never let my crew down like that!"

Sanji would rather cut off his own hands than let his crewmates suffer for his sake. Also Zoro hated his guts. He would never give up his dream so easily - even if Sanji was in danger.

There was no reason for him to ever expect Zoro to save him - was there?

"Recognize the truth you refuse to speak."

Sanji ground his teeth, but he couldn't say anything. He felt the cold touch of fear as it crept into his heart. The truth was the troubles they had all faced recently in Alabasta had made him recognize that he was indeed still too weak. There hadn't been a single one of his friends that had come out of that conflict without a scratch - just another strike on his personal list of failings. There were far too many people in his past that he had been unable to protect, and too many shattered dreams caused by his lack of ability.

Wasn't there some way for him to become enough to stand tall by everyone - for him to be as strong and unwavering as he imagined himself to be?

Fake-Zoro sidled closer and Sanji realized he'd dropped his arms, the golden ball only lightly grasped in his fingers. He jerked up his arm, holding out the sphere like a weapon. Fake-Zoro only chuckled, his words continuing to flow like a poison that numbed Sanji's soul. "You are a terrible man - terrible and cruel."

Sanji couldn't stop himself from trembling, head-to-toe. He'd been cruel? To Zoro? His mind raced back through the memories of all the awful things he had done - the wretched things he'd said - and pain throbbed in his chest. He had indeed been cruel - desperate to kill his own secret love.

"I can offer you the same thing I did your friend."

Fake-Zoro's voice dropped to an alluring whisper, "I can help you to face the division in your soul. Or... I can kill the one you love and remove the issue altogether."

Sanji growled in anger, and Fake-Zoro smirked in response. "No one seems to like the simple solutions. Very well. Let's begin the ceremony."

The blonde watched with suspicious eyes as Fake-Zoro padded around him and stepped into the perfectly still lake. The strange water gave way but did not ripple. Fake-Zoro turned and held out his hand. "Come."

His limbs moved without him thinking, and Sanji waded out into the pool. The best way to descibe the sensation of the still water on his skin was that it had the crushing sensation of swimming too deep in the open ocean. The water had weight.

It pressed itself into Sanji's every pore as he moved in deeper.

He neared Fake-Zoro just as the water began to constrict his ribcage. He panted shallowly and stared at the outstretched hand, reluctant to trust this liar and face-thief. "If you don't accept my hand you can't reach your goal."

Sanji placed his fingers in Fake-Zoro's, shivering as familiar, calloused fingers closed around his hand. "Let go of the sphere."

He pressed the glowing ball harder to his chest. The fingers around his hand gave a painful squeeze. Sanji stared into those jet-black eyes. "If you confront your innermost being and you lose yourself, you will become a part of the island. However, if you make peace your own desires and heal the rift in your soul there's not much I can do to hold you in this place. Your fate is not mine to decide."

Sanji glanced at their joined hands. "That time - would you have killed me?"

"A better question would be why did you first approach me? Or do you still wish to deny those things within your heart? I can tell you that things might not go well well for you or your friend if that's the case."

"It almost seems like you want to help us."

"Don't assume anything. It's not wise."

Sanji looked him over once more - Zoro's features, scars, expressions and voice - all these things tugged at his heart. He needed to get his marimo back. Sanji let go of the golden ball and reached for Fake-Zoro's other hand. Fake-Zoro's sly grin returned, "Hold your breath and don't drink the water."

The sphere flashed brilliantly and Sanji squeezed his eyes shut against the light. He could hear Fake-Zoro's voice mumbling in a foreign language. Panic made his limbs shake as he felt the heavy water creep further up his chest, his neck, his chin - when his head was fully submerged, Sanji opened his eyes.

There was only endless blue.

There was no sign of that Fake-Zoro bastard. Sanji wasn't sure whether that was a good thing or a bad thing. He floated in the emptiness, lost as to what to do next. Wasn't there supposed to be some sort of spiritual mumbo-jumbo happening? He certainly didn't feel any more enlightened than when he first sunk into the strange water. Maybe this was all a trap.

Sanji's lungs began to burn, and he decided that he'd had enough. He swam for what he hoped was the surface, but the blue around him never changed. Fear flooded his brain as pain spread through his body. He thrashed desperately stretching out in the hope that he would reach air, but his hands only grasped more liquid.

Don't drink the water.

Sanji realized he was going to die. His lips parted instictively as he prepared to gasp his final breath. With his hand outstretched, Sanji was only barely aware of slender fingers closing around his through the suffocation induced haze of his fading consciousness.

The force of the pull on his arm was painful - it felt like his arm would be forced out of joint as his body was suddenly dragged through the thick water. The pain served to sharpen his oxygen-deprived mind, and Sanji feebly clawed at the hand towing him further to his death. His whole body was suddenly flung into space - exiting the water and landing with a heavy thump, facedown, into sun-warmed grass. Sanji lay there coughing and wheezing as he struggled to get enough air into his waterlogged lungs.

When his body had finally spewed out all foreign liquids, and the pain in his muscles and had subsided, Sanji began to show an interest in this new environment. Soft grass stretched out all around him, rippling in tune to a light breeze. The sunlight felt so good on his skin, and Sanji rolled on his back to view the sky.

Instead of clouds, the blue water from before shimmer far above him like a roof - it downed on him that he must be beneath the lake. It didn't look dangerous like this. Actually the shifting hues seemed very pretty. Sanji watched it for a moment as he caught his breath.

Slowly he became aware of a prickling along his senses. He was being watched. Sanji struggled upright and quickly scanned his surroundings. Not far away a tall figure regarded him in silence. Sanji's heart fluttered as he recognized the woman from the woods. "Madame were you perhaps the one who saved me?"

Her cool, grey eyes ran over his appearance, and Sanji was all too aware of his bedraggled state. He leapt to his feet and frantically began to brush off the mud and grass from his poor suit. "I apologize that you have to see me like this. I swear that my appearance today is quite out of the ordinary!"

She moved to his side, and Sanji's cheeks flushed as he took in her elegant appearance. She was tall - tall enough that he had to look up to admire her features. The straightness of her nose, the thiness of her lips and the slant of her eyes - her face exuded solemn grace. Long, silver hair shifted over her shoulders, shimmering like steel, yet the smoothness of her pale skin showed no signs of age. Sanji flushed in embarrassment when he realized that he'd been staring. She reached for his hand and he gave it willingly. Her skin was cold and her nails were sharp - blood sprung up instantly where one of her long fingernails accidentally scratched the palm of his hand. The breeze carried him her scent, and the tang of metal and sword polish filled his nostrils. Sanji felt recognition shake him down to his marrow. 'W-Wado...?"

She smiled, her teeth sharp and bright. Sanji's hand tightened around hers and he swallowed, feeling a little silly. He really should think on his behavior around women. "Can... can you take me to Zoro?"

She nodded, and with a light swish of her white kimono, Wado began to lead him toward the faint sound of a river.


	6. 6

Sanji had so many questions. How had Zoro's sword turned into an elegant lady? Was that something it always could do? Could the other swords change as well?

However no matter how he tried, Sanji just could not get the words to come out of his mouth properly.

They walked together in silence. The light breeze carried the scent of summer and water. Sanji was greatful for the relief of the wind on his skin. The bright sun was progressing from warm to uncomfortable. Wado looked at him over her shoulder but her face showed no distress. Sanji found himself slightly embarrassed that he was the only one sweating profusely. Maybe he could dip his head in the river when they reached it.

Wado suddenly stopped and Sanji narrowly missed stepping on the hem of her kimono. "Sorry! I should have been more careful!"

Releasing his hand, Wado pointed one long nail to something in the distance. Sanji squinted and thought he saw the sharp glitter of light on water. That must be the river. "Is Zoro there?"

Sanji turned back to Wado for the answer, but she had vanished. In her place Ichimonji's naked blade gleamed from where it stood partially embedded in the soil. Sanji curiously reached out and brushed his fingers against the hilt.

Nothing happened.

Wado must have been making a great effort to guide him as far as she did. He couldn't help but feel grateful, and there was no way he was leaving her behind. He pulled the sword from the earth and carried it awkwardly as he continued toward the river.

Despite having Wado in his hands, Sanji found himself feeling terribly alone in the vast expanse of grass and blue. He eyed the white sword, wondering if it would be unhealthy if he started talking to it the way he sometimes caught Zoro doing. It HAD turned into a woman though, so it wasn't like he'd be talking to an inanimate object. He'd be conversing with a lovely woman.

Sanji began to talk to the sword about cooking. He explained dishes he'd recently created, and went into detail about something special he was hoping to make soon. Incedentally that special dish was something he'd seen Zoro enjoy in Alubarna... but it was only mere coincedence.

As he talked, Sanji couldn't shake the uneasy feeling that there was something wrong.

After a time he began to notice how uncomfortably hot it was growing. Each step felt like it required more and more effort, and Sanji was panting into the hot, dry wind. It felt like fucking Alabasta, but the grass was still green and healthy, the lake overhead still deep, cool shades of blue.

Why was the river still so far away?

Sanji was beginning to feel dizzy, and his head was pounding to the rhythm of his pulse. He needed water. Stumbling, over a thick tuft of grass, Sanji stretched out a hand to catch himself, and he landed harmlessly on his knees. The creeping feeling of wrongness expanded into fear in an instant. Sanji stared in horror at his outstretched arm. His muscles had wasted away leaving only dry skin stretched over his bones. He jerked upright in shock and dulled, blonde hairs fluttered to the grass before his eyes.

Panic pulsed through his body, and the wretched memories of his past lanced through his brain like physical agony.

His thoughts about that rock triggered an all too familiar feeling of aching emptiness. It flowed out from his core, invading all his senses just like it had before all those years ago. His thought processes all devolved into a single desire - survive.

His weak, bony fingers trembled as he frantically ripped at the grass, stuffing it into his mouth. His mind was consumed with elaborate images of food, flashing in his mind in a keliedoscopic nightmare. He was hungry - so hungry. However, his attempts to save himself were in vain. The grass in his mouth turned to dry sand and rocks, cutting his gums as he chewed. Sanji spit out the dirt and blood, feeling sick when he thought he saw his own teeth lying rotted on the ground among the stones.

He couldn't do this. He couldn't go through this again. Sanji just wanted to curl up and die. At least that way this hell would end.

Wado shivered and hummed in his other hand. Sanji dragged his clouded gaze over to the white sword. Why did he have Zoro's sword?

Maybe he could survive if he cut off one of his legs...

Sanji dragged the blade close, examining the sharp edge. Zeff had lived - so could he. The blade easily bit shallowly into his skin below the knee. His leg was thin and bony like the rest of his body, but any sustanance at all could save him. The blade was humming louder now - more frantically - pulsing with distress in his hands. The throb reminded him of the heave of the sea... A single inquiry emerged through the haze of his fear.

What about All Blue?

Sanji gasped and jerked the sword away from his leg. The fog of panic lifted from his mind, and Sanji stared at the bleeding wound near his knee, appalled at what he'd nearly done. He couldn't give up here!

Using Wado for support, Sanji climbed to his feet and balanced precariously on his emaciated legs. Thank god he could still move. There had to be a way out of this terrible place! Wado felt cool and soothing in his grip, as if the sword had been submerged in the sea for a long time. The cold crept up his dry limbs and eased his shaking. He remembered All Blue.

He remembered Zoro.

Wado's tip sunk into the dirt with each step, but the white sword graciously supported him as Sanji continued his struggle toward the river. Each step was painful - his atrophied muscles stiff and barely flexible. His dehydrated skin cracked over various joints - thick blood oozed from the resulting small wounds. His clothing swung loosely on his frame, and his belt was only held up by his hipbones... But the worst was the fatigue.

Sanji fought to remind himself of why he had to take the next step - why he couldn't lay in the grass and sleep forever. Thoughts of All Blue and Zoro blurred together in his exhausted brain until Sanji wasn't sure which was ocean and which was man. It didn't matter though. Because he would lose them both if he didn't keep walking.

Just when Sanji was sure he wouldn't be able to take another step, he looked blearily down at his feet and saw the river. Never had water looked so beautiful. Leaving Wado imbedded in the bank, Sanji waded ankle-deep into the clear stream and dropped to his knees - just enjoying the feeling of the cool flow on his dying skin. He cupped his hands and scooped up the life-giving liquid, bringing his cracked lips close to drink.

Don't drink the water.

Sanji knelt, frozen as the precious liquid slipped away between his thin fingers. As the silvery drops hit the surface of the stream, a deep red swirled out and colored the water - spreading out until the whole river was thick with the smell of fresh blood. Sanji croaked out in alarm and his skeletal limbs tangled as he scrambled back to the grass. Where was all this blood coming from?

Wado shivered unhappily by his side and Sanji's gaze travelled from the sword back to the river. Was this... Zoro's? He gathered his determination and forced his failing body to follow the river upstream. The banks narrowed rapidly until Sanji found himself limping beside a small, but deep, rivulet of blood. The terrain began to change rapidly, presenting new obstacles for his emaciated body. The grass grew taller as he walked further until eventually Sanji could no longer see what was ahead. The thick green swayed above his head - towering with a height more typical of trees.

The overgrown grass was tough, and sliced shallowly into his hands and arms as Sanji feebly struggled to make a path forward. His breath wheezed in his thin chest as his failing body was slowly sapped of his remaining strength. The grass forest seemed to go on and on endlessly. The blood-river was still by his side, but Sanji still couldn't help but worry. Was he going in circles?

Was there even an end?

His hand broke through to free air, and Sanji clawed at the grasses to make an opening for the rest of his body. Filled with relief, Sanji stumbled into a large clearing and found himself at the foot of long flight of stone steps. The staircase itself was plain and roughly hewn - having the appearance of being crafted by someone unskilled. Thick patches of moss crept up over the stones, fed by the river. Blood trickled from the top, splashing from step to step, staining the moss a deep red. Even the tiny flowers blooming admist the moss were a pale red hue.

Above him, Zoro stood at the head of the stairs - his eyes were wide in a horrified trance gazing down at the stones.

It was now clear from where the river originated. Zoro wounds and scars were gaping widely, and more blood was pumping out unchecked with every beat of his pulse - his skin was entirely slick and dripping with it. It was a miracle that he was still standing. Sanji felt a physical pain far worse than his own suffering seeing Zoro like this. He took a few tottering steps closer before freezing - alarm locking his joints.

The swordsman wasn't alone.

Sitting behind Zoro with her arms wrapped possessively around the swordsman's chest was a delicate, dark-haired woman. The violent red of her clothing matched Zoro's bleeding wounds, and her dark skin was smeared with the swordsman's blood. She stared unblinkingly at Sanji with huge purple eyes as she dragged the points of her long, thin nails down the exposed skin of Zoro's arm - drawing even more blood. To Sanji's horror, she stretched out her neck to grotesque, snake-like lengths, and her thin lips parted to reveal a gaping mouth crowded with jagged, dagger-like teeth. A long, red lolled out as she lapped the swordsman's blood from her nails.

Sanji felt like he would be sick.

Zoro didn't seem to notice the abuse. His tortured gazed fixated on the stairs. Sanji tried to call out to him, but his voice was strangled into nonsense sounds within the dry husk of his throat.

The monstrous woman smirked at him with her blood-stained lips as if she knew how weak he was - how his starving body was trapping him in a hell of helplessness. Sanji's broken lips stretched over his teeth in a soundless snarl. She ignored his anger and dug her nails deep into Zoro's thigh. Wado trembled in distress in Sanji's hands, and he tightened his grip.

He wasn't sure how, but he WOULD save Zoro.


	7. 7

As Sanji gripped the white sword harder, Zoro's eyes finally moved to stare at the blonde cook, "Sanji?"

He opened his mouth to respond but his frail voice perished in the desert of his dry throat. Choking, he struggled to force out actual words instead of the pathetic croaking noises he kept producing. He needed water. His tongue rasped on the flesh his mouth like sandpaper, thick and swollen. Up on the stairway, the woman wrapped around the still-bleeding swordsman smirked broadly at the cook's obvious distress. Zoro made no move to escape as she embraced him closer, her nails leaving more bloody tracks on the swordsman's already tortured skin.

Sanji watched helplessly as she sensually ran her blood-red tongue over sharp teeth before turning and parting her lips near Zoro's ear. "You're a waste of space. Just a shitty swordsman."

That was not a woman's voice.

It felt like the ground had suddenly dropped out from beneath his feet when Sanji heard his own voice coming from between bloody lips. She was watching him - enjoying his reactions of horror - as she spat his own horrible words, in his own voice, into Zoro's ear. "Filthy, disgusting neanderthal. You make me sick!"

Her purple irises were fixed on him - revelling in his agony at hearing his past words. Zoro's wide, dark eyes were watching him too. Sanji felt sharp pain pierce his chest when he saw the hurt in the swordsman's expression. He had said these things. There was no way he could deny the poison being spoken in his own voice. Sanji was responsible for the pain in Zoro's eyes. Him, and him alone. Wado slipped from his limp fingers and landed on the ground with a soft clink.

This was all his fault.

"No one needs a useless pile of seaweed like you!"

He was the real monster.

"You're just in my way, shitty bastard!"

It was no wonder the swordsman hated his guts!

"Get lost like always, asshole! I can't stand looking at your ugly mug!"

"Okay..." Zoro's voice was soft and there was too much pain in his eyes as he replied to Sanji's voice.

Sanji didn't want to listen to this anymore. Those were his words, but not his feelings. Zoro was a powerful presence in his life. He didn't want to think of future without the two of them, fighting side-by-side. Zoro was brave, loyal, compassionate, and talented - and Sanji fucking loved him.

He couldn't lose him.

"Zoro!" The intensity of the feelings he'd hidden and denied for so long lent his broken voice strength, "Don't you dare think of leaving my sight, you shitty marimo!"

His words rang out, surprisingly clear and sharp. The sound echoed against the stone stairs - rebounding throughout the little clearing. The tall grass surrounding them shivered and rattled as if in response. Sanji panted, feeling wrung out just from even that one small effort. Zoro blinked at him before frowning, "I don't understand. Don't you want me gone?"

Sanji struggled to find the right words. "I... don't hate you... Zoro."

"Liar!" The woman hissed in Zoro's ear, "He doesn't want anything to do with you. Why would he? You're pathetic! You couldn't save anyone from some shitty candles! You were all going to die and Sanji knows it's your fault!"

Sanji snarled, "Shut the fuck up! It wasn't his fault! I wasn't there! I should have been there to help!"

Zoro's eyes darted between the monster digging her claws into his shoulder and the emaciated cook at the bottom of the stairs. His expression was torn as he echoed the monster by his ear, "I should have been able to protect everyone... It's my responsibility."

"You failed." Sanji ground his teeth as the woman continued to speak awful things, "You are too weak to protect anyone! You couldn't save yourself without chopping your body into pieces, and you couldn't even protect a little girl from a simple accident! You are always too weak!"

Zoro reeled back like he'd been shot. His eyes were wide and glassy - no longer seeing Sanji standing before him. The woman chuckled darkly and Sanji clenched his fists as he watched her trail those long nails over the swordsman's chest until they rested over his heart.

"She wouldn't have died if it weren't for you. Sanji will also die because of you! You kill the people you love because you're weak!" Zoro screamed in pain as her nails sank into his chest. His spine arching in agony.

Sanji was moving before he even realized it. He no longer felt the fatigue or the protest of his emaciated muscles. He only felt the blood thundering through his veins and adrenaline ringing in his ears. The cook reached the top of the stairs with hell's fury burning in his glare. Her purple eyes widening in fear, the monster tried to dodge his strike, but she was far too slow. Sanji's fist slammed into her face with his full weight behind it. She released Zoro with a shriek of pain and her body was flung from the top of the stairs with the force of the impact.

Once he was freed, Zoro slumped forward and Sanji caught him - the swordsman's weight carrying both of them down onto the stones. As he held his marimo to his chest, Sanji could feel the warm rush of blood soaking the front of his clothes and throbbing pain in his own fist matched the beat of Zoro's heart as it pumped blood out of his wounds. He made a soft whine of distress as he tried feebly to put pressure on the deep wound with his thin fingers, but it seemed his strength had vanished along with his adrenaline rush.

His forehead resting on Sanji's shoulder, Zoro chuckled softly, "I can't believe you punched a woman."

Sanji froze in horror. He had hit a lady hadn't he? Oh how was he going to face his precious swans from now on knowing what a brute he was! Sanji craned his neck to look down from the stairs and see what had happened to the purple-eyed woman. However all he saw was Zoro's infamous demon sword, Kitetsu, quivering blade down and embedded in the dirt.

That shitty monster had been a SWORD?

He huffed through his nose in annoyance. He would have punched the damn thing earlier if he'd known that! Zoro needed to control his shitty swords better and keep them from running wild. Why the hell did he have such a nasty sword anyway?

"I'd do it again in a heartbeat."

"Really?" Zoro pulled back slightly to examine Sanji's expression, "You would go that far... for me?"

"Of course."

Zoro dropped his forehead back onto the cook's shoulder, but Sanji could still feel his smile through his thin shirt. It almost felt like the bleeding had stopped completely, but Sanji couldn't be sure. "Quit trying to grow on me, shitty moss and let me look at that wound."

Zoro leaned back and Sanji saw to his immense relief that the bleeding had stopped. He was feeling better too. The intense ache of starvation had faded into a warm rush of relief. Sanji looked up from where he'd been examining the injury over Zoro's heart only to be caught by the swordsman's gaze. Zoro's expression was intent and unsettling, and feeling uncomfortable, Sanji snapped at him out of habit, "What are you looking at?"

He instantly realized how harsh that had sounded. His blue eyes widened and Sanji scrambled to correct himself. Hadn't he learned anything? "Shit! I mean... uh, is something wrong?"

"I'm going to become stronger." Zoro's dark eyes were serious, staring Sanji down, "I won't disappoint you again."

Sanji sighed and reaching out, he clasped one hand around the nape of Zoro's neck. He brought him in with a gentle tug and pressed their foreheads together. "You could never disappoint me - you HAVE never disappointed me."

"I put you in danger. I wasn't able to fight her off myself."

"So?" Sanji stared directly, firmly into Zoro's eyes as their breaths mingled.

"I-I can't... lose you, Sanji."

There was deep, deep hurt in Zoro's gaze. Sanji brought up his other hand to stroke his thumb soothingly against Zoro's temple while the rest of his fingers sunk into soft, green hair. His voice held no nonsense, and he commanded the swordsman with his tone, "Listen to me."

Zoro's eyes searched his, and Sanji could sense the tension in his body. The cook tightened his grip on Zoro, seeking to convey his sincerity through any way he could. "You're not responsible for my life. If something happens to me, it's not your fault. It was just my shitty luck."

Zoro's sigh fanned against his face and Sanji instinctively licked his lips. "I just want to protect you. I can't imagine sailing the Grand Line without you."

"I can take care of myself." Sanji grinned briefly before his smile dropped into a shadowed, haunted expression. "Besides I should be worried about you. How much blood do you have in your body anyway?"

The swordsman chuckled and looked down at himself, "I won't die. You don't have to worry."

"And neither will I. We're going to be together forever."

Zoro shuddered under his fingers - his eyes were open and vulnerable as he murmured, "I'd like that."

A soft clink on the stone beside them had them springing apart, flushing with embarrassment. Kneeling next to the pair was a slender young man. The stern cut of his jaw made him appear older than the two pirates, but his smooth complexion hinted at youth. His skin was so pale that the patterns of his veins could clearly be seen beneath. And his hair was whiter than his skin - the short strands falling over his forehead like drifts of snow. However his most striking feature was the strange pearl hue of his eyes. Even his pupils were white, and Sanji couldn't help wondering if the young man was blind. That thought was dismissed when with fluid movements, his long fingers tipped with short, hooked claws pushed a full, white sakazuki cup towards them - those strange, pearly eyes observing them intently.

"Y-Yubashiri?" Zoro blinked in surprise after recognizing the aura of his sword. Offering a small nod of affirmation, Yabashiri gestured toward the offered drink. Zoro took the cup and nodded his thanks to the sword before bringing the cup to his lips.

Don't drink...

"Wait!" But Sanji had called out too late. He tensed, waiting for god-knows-what to happen after Zoro swallowed.

"What?"

"N-nothing." After a few moments of Zoro not bursting into flames or turning to dust, Sanji let out the breath he'd been holding. He suddenly became all too aware of how thirsty he was. He reached out for the cup in Zoro's hands, hoping to get a sip before the damn marimo sponge drank it all. Zoro willingly passed it to him and Sanji was struck with the realization that the swordsman's wounds were not only no longer gushing blood, but they appeared to be closing and healing. Had the sake done that?

As Sanji reached for the cup he noticed his hands were no longer shriveled and dry. The pain in the cook's fist had vanished as well. He glanced down and was thrilled to see his body healthy and whole once more. Maybe it wasn't the sake then.

"You okay cook?"

"Yeah." Sanji's fingers brushed against Zoro's as he accepted the drink. The brief, warm brush against his skin sent an exhilarated shiver up his arm. Everything was okay. They were both okay. Sanji only hesitated a moment before lifting the cup to his lips. The taste of fine sake rolled over his tongue and soothed his throat. "This is good!"

"Isn't it?" Zoro reached over to take the cup back.

Yubarshiri bared his sharp teeth in a wide grin.

Intense sensation burned up his arm, making Sanji gasp. Instead of the same light touch of their hands like before, this time when Zoro's fingers wrapped around his own there was a feeling of light pressure before their skins melded with a mild prickling and Zoro's hand slipped inside Sanji's. Stunned into speechlessness, Sanji stared at where their hands had mingled into one. He wasn't frightened by the strange occurrence - there was no pain - but his mind hadn't yet caught up to what had just happened. Powerful energy, like the adrenaline from a fight, rippled through his body, quickening his heartbeat into a wild drumming against his ribs. It felt like dying and living all at once.

The overwhelming assault of electrifying vitality on his senses was immediately followed up by Zoro... Zoro's thoughts, his fears, his memories and everything about the swordsman rushed into Sanji's body through their hands - filling him to the point where he felt like he might burst out of his skin. He knew from their connection that Zoro felt the same.

He'd never experienced anything as amazing as this.

Their breaths fell into perfect synchronization along with the beating of their hearts. There was no longer the two of them - they existed and felt as one. Sanji gazed at Zoro sitting before him, and for the first time he knew exactly what was behind those dark eyes.

Zoro was looking back at him with all the love Sanji had only ever dreamed that he'd have one day.

The swordsman's whole being filled all the empty spaces that Sanji hadn't realized had been hurting up until now. For the first time he was truly whole and well. Sanji smiled and knew he didn't have to say a word - Zoro knew. Just like this they were complete and perfect.

The white sakazuki cup flashed golden in their hands, and without any warning, the lake overhead came crashing down. Everything was instantly flooded with dark, heavy water. Sanji had never felt such a painful loss as when Zoro's hand was ripped from his and he was once again only one person - alone in the dark blue void. He tried to scream out for the swordsman, but water filled his throat and invaded his body.


	8. 8

Pain burned in his suffocating lungs - spreading out like tongues of fire that singed every nerve in his body. Sanji clawed at the water, panicking, searching for a way to escape. It was like a reoccuring nightmare - the familiar weight of the water bearing down on his body, restricting his every movement. Sanji felt himself begin to drown. Despair started to set in, and only the faint hope of finding Zoro at the surface kept him striving upward.

As his struggles became weaker and weaker, one of his flailing hands hit on something solid.

A strong hand clamped onto his wrist, and Sanji was suddenly yanked through the dark water. He was hauled bodily out of the lake and flung onto the mossy bank like a giant fish. Gasping and choking, he sure felt like a fish. Sanji coughed and wheezed, trying to relieve the pain in his chest and breathe. He wasn't alone as he fought to clear his lungs. Crouching at his side, Zoro watched him silently - just as soaked as Sanji, with his wet clothes clinging to his skin.

When Sanji finally could take a full breath without his lungs convulsing, he flopped over onto his back and scrubbed at his face with a dirty sleeve - trying to erase how his eyes were watering from choking. Zoro shifted to the ground and settled quietly at his side. The distance between them was small, but Sanji was painfully aware of the space as if it were a gaping wound.

Neither of them spoke.

Sanji just lay there with his hand over his face and listened to the light patter of the raindrops on the thick moss around them. What could he say? They had lost something precious and intimate when the lake had forced them apart. Sanji knew that no words of promise or apology would come even close to easing the bite of loneliness in his soul.

Overhead the blue sky was filled with tiny falling rainbows as the sun shone over the tops of purple trees - illuminating the continually falling rain. It was beautiful, but Sanji found that he intensely missed the soft rustling of tall grass and the scent of blood... The fear and suffering he had endured in that place under the lake was obscured by the memory of Zoro's heart connected to his own, and how nothing else in all the seas had mattered for that moment of bliss.

But now that place was gone, and they were stranded back where this damn mess had all begun.

Sanji raised his hand and looked at it sadly. Already the clarity of his memories of the swordsman's thoughts and feelings were beginning to fade. It was terrifying - like Zoro's whole existence might accidentally slip from his mind. Sanji was scared to even look at him - the emptiness inside infecting his thoughts and leaving Sanji bitter.

He'd never be happy like that ever again.

Startling him out of his misery, Zoro's big, warm fingers interlaced with his own. Sanji's gaze flew to the swordsman's face. The expression of desperation Zoro displayed as he squeezed Sanji's fingers uncomfortably tight tugged painfully at his tattered emotions. He felt like crying when their palms crushed together but remained two separate limbs attached to two separate bodies - their skin remaining an all too solid barrier.

It just wasn't enough to touch if he couldn't also touch Zoro's soul.

Sanji turned away, wanting to just curl up and vanish. However, Zoro wouldn't allow him to shake off the swordsman's hand. With a low growl of irritation, Zoro dragged Sanji upright with a bruising grip on his wrist. Sanji glared at him in genuine anger. Why wouldn't this bastard just let him wallow in his misery? "What the hell are you doing, shitty marimo?! Let me go! It's no use, dumbass!"

"Shut up!"

Sanji struggled half-heartedly as Zoro pulled him into a crushing hug, burrowing his face into Sanji's shoulder. Wishing like hell he knew what Zoro was thinking, Sanji pressed his cheek to Zoro's wet hair. Why couldn't they have just stayed in that place and been happy?

The glint of sunlight off metal attracted his attention, and Sanji found himself staring over Zoro's shoulder at the three swords embedded in the earth behind them. He never would have thought that a mere straight line of shitty weapons would affect him so personally, but seeing them brought on a fresh rush of emotion as he recalled the memories behind Zoro's dream - memories of a little girl, sweat and stubbornness. They wouldn't have been happy under the lake - not for long. Zoro had a powerful dream that influenced every beat of his heart.

And Sanji had All-Blue.

Smiling for the first time since he'd been dragged from the water, Sanji sent a silent thank you to Wado and Yubashiri. They were more than weapons to Sanji now, and he couldn't help watching them hopefully, wondering if they would change and move. It would be nice to see them again.

Kitetsu could go fuck herself.

Beyond the naked blades, Sanji's eye was drawn to a quick flurry of movement. At the edge of the woods a white-furred beast with distinctly vulpine features watched them with shiny, black eyes. It was too big to be just a fox - its legs were unnaturally long and the body was lean, giving the beast a leggy appearance more like a fawn than a predator. Swishing lazily, a split tail flicked its twin ends around the creature's back heels. He'd never seen anything like it. However Sanji did recognize the metal ball in its mouth. The golden sphere was dull - entirely lacking the warm glow from the cook's earlier encounters. That was somehow reassuring.

The beast snarled at him silently from around the object in its mouth, baring the sharp teeth in its narrow muzzle before vanishing into the brilliant jungle foliage with a swish of its tails.

Sanji wrapped his arms around Zoro's back and held him tight. There was nothing to fear anymore. He had brought Zoro back - or rather, they had brought each other back. Being together - holding each other at last - sent warm happiness flowing out from Sani's chest to his fingertips and toes. Yet Sanji still felt the sting of loss - the powerful longing to feel Zoro's skin inside his own. He needed to have their nerves mingle and their bones fit together like cogs.

It had been too perfect.

Zoro tightened his arms and growled softly as he squeezed Sanji painfully tight. It was like the stupid swordsman was trying to forcefully press their bodies together into one. However it only produced discomfort - there wasn't any way for them to be like before. Sanji didn't like it but at least he acknowledged it. Annoyed at the marimo constricting his ribcage, Sanji threw his weight forward and pushed Zoro backward onto the ground. He failed utterly in breaking the swordsman's hold - instead Zoro wrapped his legs around Sanji's hips.

"Sanji...!"

The blonde shuddered as the swordsman breathed his name into the still-damp skin of his neck. As Zoro's legs tightened around Sanji's waist, their groins brushed, sparking an electric sensation that was tantalizingly similar to the energy that had overtaken the both of them before. Without thought, Sanji ground his hips down against Zoro's body, eagerly chasing that rush of feelings. All his rationale flowed away with the rain as Sanji was consumed by the flare of need to feel MORE. Zoro gasped against his throat and Sanji instantly loved that small sound.

Not entirely comfortable with where his arms had ended up trapped under Zoro's back, Sanji pulled away to adjust his posture. Zoro reacted quickly to the distance between them, lunging up with a snarl, bared teeth biting into Sanji's shoulder near his neck and spilling blood down creamy skin. "Ow! You fucker...!"

Zoro rolled his hips and Sanji forgot his complaint. The arousal gathering in his lower body pulsed with brilliant flashes of the same bliss the two of them had experienced through their connection. Sanji needed it so badly. He needed to be fused to Zoro's soul again.

He planted his hands in the moss by Zoro's head and concentrated on the hard grind of their hips. Zoro groaned, his hands scrabbling and grasping at the back of Sanji's shirt. Sanji's shoulders shook as he struggled against the force of Zoro's arms seeking to pull him down and trap him once again. Zoro bit down harder, making Sanji grit his teeth in pain, but he didn't relent - keeping his distance and some semblance of control as he pressed Zoro's hips into the ground with his own.

Zoro's jaw slackened with a gasp and Sanji could feel his rapid panting against the aching bite wound left behind. The pleasure and the pressure from the hard press of their bodies still wasn't enough. Their connection had burned brighter, deeper and with an intense power that had made Sanji breathless. This wasn't enough.

With a growl of his own, Sanji rolled away and tore at his clothing. Zoro was on top of him in a flash, his thick fingers enthusiastically ripping Sanji's clothing away. When the last article had been thrown aside, Zoro forced himself onto Sanji's lap, licking at the wound he'd made at Sanji's neck while the cook was left to wrestle with Zoro's clothes alone. The shirt and haramaki were cooperative, leaving Sanji satisfied with the slide of their chests against one another as Zoro re-wrapped his arms around Sanji's torso. However the pants and boots just wouldn't come off.

After tugging unsuccessfully for a while, Sanji forced Zoro away with a tight hand on his throat. Zoro drew in a sharp breath and Sanji could feel the air flowing down the swordsman's windpipe, thrumming against his hand. He stilled for a moment and just felt Zoro breathe - the swift pace of the swordsman's panting just behind the rapid pulse in the vein under Sanji's thumb.

Zoro accepted Sanji's guidance when he continued pushing, forcing the swordsman back down onto the ground. He loomed over Zoro with a smirk, enjoying how aroused, dark eyes watched and waited for his next move. He reached down with his free hand to fumble with Zoro's pants. Another pair of hands joined him in releasing the button and removing the last barrier between their bodies. Finally there was only the sun-warmed rain and their own sweat separating them.

Sanji's hand was immediately drawn to Zoro's arousal. He kept one hand one the swordsman's throat, holding him in place as he explored the weight and the shape of his partner. Zoro bucked up into Sanji's touch, snarling as he wordlessly demanded more. Sanji punished the impatient swordsman with a tighter grip on his throat, causing Zoro's eyes to roll back as he moaned in reaction to the blonde's fingertip pressing into his slit.

With Zoro shaking and making sounds that gave Sanji the shivers, the blonde decided then and there that he had to have Zoro.

Dark eyes watched him closely as Sanji trailed his hand from Zoro's throat, through the rain pooling in the dips of his chest and abs, before boldly stroking with his fingers deep between Zoro's legs. The swordsman shuddered, his gaze locked with Sanji's as the blonde rubbed gently, waiting. They didn't need words - Zoro stretched his arms up to cross them behind his head and spread his legs, willingly opening his whole body to Sanji's touch.

Sanji refused to waste time hesitating. The swordsman reacted with a helpless jerk of his hips - his feet spasming on the damp ground - as Sanji sought to stretch the swordsman's entrance as wide as he could manage. Sanji couldn't take it slow - his fingers straining as he impatiently worked at Zoro's flexing muscles. Zoro's breathing escalated into rough gasps - tiny, desperate noises escaping as his toes curled and his thighs trembled.

The heat of Zoro's body was calling out to him - lighting Sanji's blood on fire with a promise of something he'd craved even long before they'd been joined under the water.

Zoro's back bowed forward and he clamped his hands onto Sanji's shoulders as the blonde thrust himself inside. Both men groaned, pained at the rough friction resulting from the minimal lubrication. Sanji hooked both of Zoro's legs over his biceps and pressed the swordsman's knees back toward his chest as he ground his hips against Zoro's firm ass. Moaning loudly, his toes flexing in the air and his spine undulating - Zoro released Sanji's shoulders and let his hands slide down to clutch at the blonde's wrists.

The first thrust was shallow - just a test of the friction between them. Zoro cried out, his knees clamping down painfully on Sanji's arms, and Sanji had a pretty good idea of what the marimo was feeling - he felt it too. Adrenaline surged through his veins, escalating his heartbeat into a mad rush. The hammering of his heart behind his ribs was complemented by waves of pleasure that rolled over his body as he rocked his hips. Looking down into Zoro's wild, black eyes he knew everything the swordsman was thinking - lust and excitement shone clearly in the blown pupils. Zoro was smiling up at him - sweat and rain running over his face and shimmering in the daylight. He looked so beautiful and perfect beneath Sanji like this. Sanji's breath caught in his throat as he drank in the sight before he bent to press a kiss to Zoro's heated lips.

This was better than what they'd had beneath the water - hotter, more brilliant, and more them.

Sanji spread passionate kisses over Zoro's jaw down to his neck where he bit and sucked at the place where he could feel Zoro's thundering pulse beneath his lips. Zoro didn't hold back - his volume rising as Sanji thrust deeper. Sanji moaned into the bruised skin of Zoro's neck as Zoro's voice rang in his ears. The swordsman's whole body was shaking and rippling beneath him, and the frantic rhythm of Zoro's muscles snapped Sanji's control like brittle thread. His hips juddered out of his control and he screamed by Zoro's ear as it felt like everything in his body - his entire soul - emptied out into Zoro. Eyes widening, Zoro gasped as Sanji shuddered against him, and before the blonde had even begun to come down from his high, Zoro's hands tightened on Sanji's wrists hard enough to make his bones creak - Sanji was only barely aware of how Zoro shouted out his name as his waist buckled and jumped sporadically.

Sanji let Zoro's legs slide to the ground and he shook off the swordsman's shaking hands from his wrist as he bonelessly draped himself over Zoro's heaving chest. The two of them lay there entwined in the sun as warm rain washed the sweat from their bodies. Sanji felt himself begin to drift - floating contentedly on the current of the high buzzing through his veins. Zoro's trembling fingers stroking through his hair prompted him back into wakefulness. Reaching up, he caught the swordsman's hand with own - tangling their fingers as he stretched his neck to place a kiss to Zoro's cheek. He no longer remembered everything that had happened in the mysterious lake - however that was fine with him. He didn't need those memories now - not with Zoro smiling sleepily and squeezing his fingers.

His heart was full and his soul was complete - this was how they were meant to be.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

"MEAAAAAAAT!"

Luffy yelped in excitement and leapt off the path into the jungle. Nami ran her fingers through her hair in exasperation as the rest of the crew watched the captain chasing a white, fox-like creature around and around the purple trunk of a large tree. This island had produced neither treasure nor information on the strange weather, and the navigator was more than eager to get back to the Merry and brush the knots out of her hair. Humidity was a bitch.

"L-Luffy! That thing might be dangerous!" Usopp hid behind Robin as he uselessly tried to convince their excited captain to release the unhappy beast's tails.

Laughing as the creature tried to turn and snap at his fingers, Luffy's eyes sparkled at the panicking sniper, "IT'S SO COOL! I BET IT'S DELICIOUS!"

"Don't eat him...!" Chopper began to wail in distress. Luffy ignored him in favor of scowling where the fox-beast had finally managed to bite at his hand.

"He bit me! I'M GONNA KICK HIS ASS!"

"Luffy let that thing go. It probably has diseases."

Everyone turned to see Sanji walking up the path toward them. Zoro was at his side, limping noticeably. Robin raised an eyebrow at the ruined state of their clothes and Sanji's arm planted around Zoro's waist.

Chopper ran to meet them, babbling in distress, "ZORO! What happened? Did your ankle scars open again? You're limping! AH! YOU NEED A DOCTOR!"

"M'fine, Chopper." Zoro leaned against Sanji as the little doctor examined him frantically.

"Well if you're fine can we go now? I'm sick of this useless island!"

Robin smiled at the dirty, bedraggled pair as Nami huffed past them. "You two look like you had quite an adventure."

Sanji nodded absently at the archeologist as he was stared down by their reindeer doctor. Chopper's eyes had grown huge as his nose twitched. "Y-you two...?! With each other...?! AHHHH!"

"Chopper?" Usopp chased after the little reindeer as he ran down the path after Nami, blushing under his fur.

Luffy was rubbing his bitten hand on his vest as he came to stand next to Robin - the poor, molested fox-creature having long since escaped into the jungle. "An adventure...?"

Sanji quickly interrupted the direction Luffy's thoughts were heading, "We should get back to Merry. It's almost time for dinner."

Luffy reacted to Sanji's declaration with pure joy - jumping around and disturbing all the color-changing plants nearby. Robin chuckled to herself and followed her crewmates. It seemed that her worries had been of no consequence, and she couldn't be more relieved. She adjusted the armful of scrolls beneath the protection of her coat and walked slowly - pretending merely to be cautious of her delicate acquisitions as she watched how Zoro's hand crept up to press against the cook's fingers at his hip.

Behind them the rain slowly ceased - the moisture still hanging heavy in the air reflecting a brilliant rainbow that arched over the entire island as the sun sank toward the horizon. The brilliant colors of the island mirrored the display in the sky. It was a fantastic sight - as lovely as anything the Grand Line had to offer. However none of them looked back.

They didn't need to.

\- The End.


End file.
